To pause audio recording via your steno machine when writing realtime, write the following steno strokes: /PAUS/PAUS. This is defined as {Pause Audio}. Resumption of recording audio does not automatically begin when you start writing on your machine if you have paused the recording by writing /PAUS/PAUS.

If you have paused audio recording via writing the aforementioned strokes, you must write, /SAOUPL/SAOUPL to resume audio recording. These strokes must be defined as {Resume Audio}, in order to be effective.

You can also choose a realtime setting that will automatically pause audio recording after a certain, set amount of time has passed without you writing a stroke on your machine. If your audio recording is paused via this setting, recording will automatically resume once you begin to write on your machine again.

To activate this setting, do the following once you have opened your Translate Dialog Box: Click on Options. Click on the Realtime Tab. Select Auto Pause (In the Audio section of the Realtime Tab).

Next to the Auto Pause option, there is an “After” setting that allows you to set the amount of time you can go without writing on your machine before the recording of audio is paused. This setting allows you to enter between 0 and 999 seconds.

Work units are a function of Case CATalyst that is usually used in network situations when reporters provide daily copy, or take turns using the same computer.

Work units are consecutively numbered files that are created as a separate copy while a reporter writes realtime. Meanwhile, the original realtime file remains as one cohesive file.

A work unit can be programmed to be created every minute, every 60 minutes, or any increment in between. The work unit setting allows a scopist to access a realtime file as it is being created, with a minimum of a one minute delay and a maximum of a 60 minute delay. This allows for immediate editing. This helps to increase the rate of transcript turnaround.

The work unit that has been created and sent can be set to be displayed on the realtime screen in a shaded colored area.

Stenography machines are equipped with buttons that allow you to make electronic marks on your steno notes. These tapemarks are used by stenographers to make special notations in their notes. For example, a stenographer might want to be reminded of a place in their steno notes that they want to review later, and they may insert this reminder via a tapemark.

Tapemarks display in your steno notes as an open parenthesis after the final Z location. Tapemarks usually appear in your transcript as a slash and an open parenthesis. However, you can change the way a tapemark appears in your transcript by defining it as something else in your dictionary.

To define a tapemark, in the dictionary you want to define it in, insert the following entry: In the Steno Field type an open parenthesis, and in the Text Field type the text you want to display in the transcript when you make an electronic mark.

How to Scan for Tapemarks: In Manage Notes, press F8 (Edit/Scan for Tapemarks). You can also Scan backward in the note file by pressing Shift + F8 (Edit/Scan Backward for Tapemarks).

You can use Case CAT without having to click on a user to get to your files. If you are the only person who uses your Case CATalyst system, this may be your preference. To eliminate this click, you would turn on your Auto Logo On function. To do so, do the following steps:

Yes, you can change your mundane Case CATalyst user icon from the default one that is shown below.
Case CAT offers a handful of options for user icons. You can also import your own via browse. However, if you are importing your own icon, beware that the size of the graphic shouldn’t be too large. If it is, the icon will not look detailed.

I recently changed my user icons to the images of steno machines. These are images that are offered by Stenograph as options. (See picture below.)

When measuring margins for Case CATalyst settings, a ruler that has the inches divided into tenths is a useful tool. However, such a ruler is not always readily available. Most rulers divide the inches by sixteenths. Below is a list of figures that shows the decimal equivalents for sixteenths of an inch. These conversions are the next best thing to having a ruler divided by tenths when you have to create layout settings in Case CATalyst. When needing to set various layout measurement that may not measure up to whole numbers, you can use a regular foot-long ruler and combine the whole number measurements with these decimals as need.

1/16 of an inch= .063
1/16 of an inch= .063
1/16 of an inch= .063
2/16 of an inch (or 1/8 of an inch)= .125
3/16 of an inch= .188
4/16 of an inch (or 1/4 or an inch)= .250
5/16 of an inch= .313
6/16 of an inch (or 3/8 of an inch)= .375
7/16 of an inch= .438
8/16 of an inch (or 1/2 of an inch)= .500
9/16 of an inch= .563
10/16 of an inch (or 5/8 of an inch)= .625
11/16 of an inch= .688
12/16 of an inch (or 3/4 of an inch)= .750
13/16 of an inch= .813
14/16 of an inch (or 7/8 of an inch)= .875
16/16 of an inch= 1

The spell check option in Case CATalyst can check for more than just spelling errors.

The spell check function allows you to check for a bevy of errors including: Words that are written out in all capital letters, words that contain more capital letters than an initial cap, a combination of letters and numbers, repeated words (this is especially helpful), incorrect compound words, single characters, multiple punctuation that indicates an error in ending punctuation, colloquy punctuation, incorrect spacing, repeated colloquy, empty pages, missing bylines, and empty speaker designations.

With computer-aided transcription, gone are the days when court reporters have to read back from paper notes. When I first started court reporting school, I used an Stentura Protégé. In transit, I would read back from my paper notes for practice. More than a couple of times I dropped my accordion-like arrangements of notes. I won’t even get into the horrors of seeing my notes flying in the wind. LOL.

I still incorporate steno read back into my daily practice routine. However, I’ve found an easier way to carry my notes with me for my quick, in-transit study sessions.

I now save my steno notes as PDF files on my tablet for easier transport and manageability. If you save your files as PDFs you can drop them into any one of your devices that contain an PDF file reader.